A profile photo of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, recently released with lots of new features. (Source: Apple)

New Features Make Apple Watch Ultra 2 Faster, Better for Heavy Users, Phone Required

Yesterday Seeflection.com brought you the latest news on Apple’s updates to the iPhone 15 pro. On the very same day that Apple released the new phone, they also trumpeted their new additions to the Watch Ultra 2. The new watch is larger, faster, and loaded with new features.

The writer Adrienne So is an active outdoor runner and she was given the task of reviewing the Watch Ultra 2. She was quite impressed with it while at the same time, she pointed out a few problems that came up in the trials and tests she gave it.

Mapping Her Run

So described an issue she had with one of the watch’s running features. She took her run and found the features were operating as advertised until there was a minor glitch. So writes:

“The best and worst, part about reviewing products is when your experience takes a hard right turn. Last week, I went on a trail run with the Apple Watch Ultra 2. At home, I had set the orange Action button to start Backtrack, Apple’s navigation feature that creates a virtual breadcrumb trail in the Compass app for you to follow back home. I connected my headphones and started my playlist. I tapped the watch face and started an Outdoor Run.

“Then I got to my turnaround point. I flipped back through my watch screens. Somehow, in between checking my heart rate and mileage and checking my music, I had … turned Backtrack off. I turned off my music. The deep woods around me were totally still. Luckily, I had previously downloaded the topographic map of the area on my phone, and I was able to check the watch’s Compass app even though I didn’t have a data signal. So it wasn’t like I was lost. But it wasn’t hard to imagine how I could have been.”

Even the best of tools occasionally succumb to user error, and being alone in the woods is a bad time to make a mistake.

Thumb and Forefinger Tap

While the Watch Ultra 2 looks similar to the one from 2022, it has a faster S9 chipset to power basic Siri interactions on the watch.

“You no longer have to wait for simple voice commands—start a workout, set an alarm, log your weight—to travel up and down from the cloud. Machine learning tasks are also completed twice as quickly as on the original Ultra, which theoretically extends the battery life of the watch. The extra power enables new interactions like Double Tap, which uses the watch’s sensors to detect when you tap your thumb and index finger together twice. That gesture can be used in place of the primary watch button on any screen, or open your Smart Stack. There are other gestures too, like covering your watch to mute it.”

New Watch Ultra 2 gestures mean users will need to carry their phones to access all the features—which is not ideal.

If you have an Apple watch or are just considering it, this story helps outline the pros and cons.

read more at wired.com